A Vietnamese beachfront escape, TIA Wellness Resort, is embracing nourishing raw food cuisine, detox therapies, and holistic wellbeing practices from sound healing to private yoga sessions in its new retreat package “Body & Mind Cleanse” launching this month. 

The four-night or seven-night offering draws from different healing modalities so guests can detox and release toxins from the body, while also improving vitality through letting go of what’s holding them back on a mental level.

A key element of the new package is intermittent fasting, a practice where all the food consumed in a day is eaten during an eight-hour window. Giving the digestive system 16 hours of rest in a 24-hour cycle is associated with improved digestive health and overall wellbeing. 

When the fast is broken guests follow a plant-based raw food meal plan, designed to give them more energy, vitality and nutrients. Following a diet rich in raw vegetables and fresh fruit is believed to have a myriad of benefits as it aids in balancing the body, strengthening immunity and fighting inflammation (a driver in many chronic diseases). The carefully-crafted meal plan is paired with a full schedule of healthy activities each day. 

“We designed this retreat so guests could empower the body to release toxins and move towards a more vibrant, and healthy lifestyle,” explained Ramon Imper, general manager of the resort. “Although the gut plays an important role, it is one part of a greater system so a lot of the work we do during the program is geared towards liberating the mind from clutter, overthinking, and stress. We want the detox to occur on more than just a physical level.”

While the schedule varies each day, with new practices and treatments, a typical day on the program starts with a private yoga lesson at 7am to activate oxygen flow and heat in the body. This is followed by a treatment in the wellness center, such as a Lymphatic Detox session, Bamboo Rollout treatment, or Heart Stone Therapy. A private breathwork session, one of the most powerful yet easily accessible practices and a core of TIA’s overall offering, rounds out the morning before an 11am breakfast of a smoothie bowl, such as the Sunrise Smoothie Bowl, a refreshing blend of papaya, orange, mango, turmeric, banana, chia seeds, almonds, and coconut flakes.

Guests can then enjoy the property, with its tropical gardens and two expansive pools (each villa also has its own private plunge pool), before a three-course raw lunch at 1.30pm. Dishes include creative fare like Beetroot Ravioli, filled with cashews and garlic herbs, served on avocado carpaccio; along with decadent and nutritious desserts such as raw Banoffee Trifle, consisting of finely blended nuts, dates and fresh bananas.

There’s an optional creativity workshop that starts at 3pm, which takes an artistic approach to self-healing; followed by the Detox Hydrotherapy Circuit or Sound Healing Therapy. At 5:30pm there’s an opportunity for a 30-minute Tai Chi session before a 6pm two-course raw dinner. The day ends with a treatment of the guest’s choice from a broad array, ranging from facials to massages. 

The Lymphatic Detox and Detox Hydro Circuit Therapy were both added to TIA’s offerings earlier this year with this retreat package in mind. The Detox Hydro Circuit Therapy is a 60-minute detox journey, which consists of a herbal steam, a hydrotherapy massage, coffee and salt body scrub, a sauna, and an ice bath (also a recent addition). Each step is guided by a skilled spa therapist. 

The Lymphatic Detox, is an 80-minute offering that uses rhythmic strokes to target the lymph nodes to support lymphatic drainage and stimulate the body’s natural detoxification process. 

For guests who opt for the seven-night option, day three starts early with a trip to the Marble Mountains, five karsts named for the five elements. This sacred spot, near the property, is famous for its lofty caves with religious relics and is the location for a private yoga class before the crowds set in. The experience is a variation on the new TIA Tours they launched in August, which are curated wellness experiences at nearby points of spiritual and cultural significance around the themes of Nourish (food), Flow (move), Breathe, and Create.

“This is more than just a quick fix,” added Ramon. “We created this retreat to equip our guests with the skills and motivation to continue what they learned during their time here when they’re back at home.”